TEST – Marcin Gałuszka

Although it does not use tubes, the Pathos Converto Mk2 has a lot in common with their sound …

So far, I associated Pathos Acoustics mainly with tube amplifiers and a patent called Inpol, successfully applied in more advanced designs. Meanwhile, a few years ago, the Italian manufacturer extended its offer with a “digital source” – a digital-to-analog converter, head-amp and a preamplifier called Converto, the heart of which was the HiDac module offered as an extension to … amplifiers. The launch of the second version of this device (Mk2) became a pretext to test its capabilities and sound.

Construction

Pathos got everyone used to the tube technology and the unusual, yet very attractive appearance of their devices, while the Converto Mk2 is neither tube nor – at least at first glance – not particularly distinguished by its design. Closer inspection, however, shows the attention to detail and the unusual design (solid housing covered with opalescent matte varnish, perforated top wall with a large, precisely engraved logo), and even slightly extravagant elements, which include bold color combinations, primarily black and red, in which the black housing is accompanied by red buttons and a volume knob.

The latter, in the RR (Remote Ready) version with a centrally built-in IR sensor, is also a kind of “freak”, although known from earlier designs of the Italian manufacturer, for example the Classic One MkIII amplifier. What is this prank about? The dial only rotates 30 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise, then returns to its center position for a total of 180 half-dB steps. Fortunately, you can get used to it, although the remote control (available as an option) seems indispensable, especially if the Converto were to work as a preamplifier.

Complementing the front panel are two buttons (power switch and source selector), a diode placed between them (start / run / sleep indicator), as well as five consecutive longitudinal indicators of active inputs and a 6.3mm socket for a large jack.

The back is also not entirely typical. The first thing that draws attention is the two USB inputs in standard B. Theoretically, the Converto Mk2 can therefore (after installing the driver prepared by M2Tech, available on the Pathos website) connect, for example, two computers or one computer with two different cables (to compare them ” in flight “, which, however, without a remote control will not be very convenient, because the inputs only switch sequentially to the right). In addition to the USB ports, the Converto Mk2 offers digital inputs in the form of “optics” and “coax”, RCA line input, as well as an output, as well as an XLR output. The whole is completed with an output switch (Fixed / Variable) and two 12V power sockets, main and Remote ON / OFF OUT for remote switching on / off of compatible devices.

The bottom panel, which is usually omitted in the descriptions, is important because it has a small red reset button, thanks to which you do not have to disassemble the housing in order to use it. Why use it at all? This way you can quickly reset the volume level of each input (Converto Mk2 remembers the level for each input separately).

The interior of the Converto Mk2 is arranged on one larger and a few small tiles. The digital section is created by the HiDac module mentioned in the introduction (also marked with the Mk2 designation) with the ESS Technology ESS9018K2M converter offering PCM signal decoding up to 32 bits and 384kHz and DSD signal up to 11.2MHz (although the manufacturer mentions supporting up to DSD128 via Roon without a problem) I was able to natively play DSD256 files) and also with an XMOS processor (USB interface). The volume is controlled by two Burr-Brown (TI) PGA2310 chips.

Sound quality

Converto Mk2 plays with an instantly recognizable manner – it thickens, brings closer and warms the message, taking care of tangibility and flowery colors. If I had to guess whether it was a tube device or a solid-state device, I would rather bet on the former. I know that this is a stereotype and that many “tube” sounds do not make the sound warm, but the Converto sounds so … thick that the association with glass bubbles is inevitable. This “style” is independent of whether we listen through headphones (head-amp) or speakers (preamplifier).

What I liked the most about the Converto Mk2 presentation was the midrange: on the one hand, very plastic and nicely “rounded”, and on the other, quite natural. The thing is that the Pathos engineers managed to achieve a rare compromise between the analytical and spontaneous sound and the so-called musicality and the richness of colors already mentioned. Thanks to this, for example, the vocals are very tangible, juicy and “emotional” (they seem to have a greater emotional charge), and the piano gains a greater volume of sound.Pathos engineers managed to achieve a rare compromise between the analytical and spontaneous sound and the so-called musicality and richness of colors.

The bass is also convincing – it is strong, clean and legible. The color differentiation is good, as is the so-called backrest and descent into the “subsonic” regions (head-amp). It cannot be said that – despite the “warm-up” perceptible in the entire range – it somehow lingered. On the contrary, its control makes a good impression, and listening to various kinds of music is invariably accompanied by a feeling of certainty and solid bass.

The quality of the treble is another plus on the Pathos’ list of advantages. The trebles are detailed, but never cross the border beyond which there is a metallic coating or overly accentuated sibilants – even with such “razor blades” as ATH-AWAS Audio Techniki.

Does Converto Mk2 have any weaknesses at all? The choices made in the sound tuning stage undoubtedly have consequences. It is all about the aforementioned density and approximation of the sound. It is not conducive to either resolution or a particularly refined presentation of the gradation of dynamics. There would also be better differentiation of recordings. Heating the sound to some extent makes it uniform, on the one hand “pulling” less recorded discs, and on the other hand not fully recognizing the superiority of those whose production is outstanding. In fact, however, it is a small price that we pay for such an intense, distinct and musical presentation that can be associated with tube devices.

Summary

The Converto Mk2 is a very successful device that will quickly gain recognition and sympathy of the listener, especially those who are looking for emotion and tangibility in the sound.

PRODUCT

Pathos Converto Mk2

TYPE

DAC / headphone amplifier / preamplifier

PRICE

PLN 7,399

SCALES2.5 kg

DIMENSIONS (W × H × D)200 × 226 × 70 mm

THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURES

• Inputs: 2x USB-B, 1x digital S / PDIF RCA, 1x digital S / PDIF Toslink, 1x line RCA
• Outputs: XLR, RCA line and 6.3mm headphone jack outputs
• Dynamic range: 120dB
• S / N ratio: -110dB
• THD distortion: <0.01%
• Output impedance: <30Ω
• D / A converter: ESS9018K2M
• Sampling frequency for digital inputs: S / PDIF 32bit to 384kHz,
• USB PCM 32bit up to 384kHz, DSD up to 256
• Head-amp:
• Output power: 1W @ 16Ω
• Output impedance: <0.2Ω
• Baseline value: 7VRMS
• Frequency response: 10Hz – 100kHz
• THD distortion: <0.02%
• Power consumption: 10W

https://www.hfc.com.pl/test/4698,pathos-converto-mk2.html